Protecting Lady Esther (The King's League)

Esther frowned, leaning against the wall and trying to peer through the gap in the door. She could not make out the gentleman speaking to her father but certainly did not like the tone that he was using. Her father was a respected gentleman of the ton, who held a highly respected title and had even served in the army – although that had been before Esther had been born. Her father was the second in line and had been forced to return home to claim the title after the death of his brother, Esther had been told. A wife and a son had followed soon after, and Esther herself had been the second child born to Lord Leighton. Her older brother, Jasper, was now married and soon would be producing the next heir, no doubt, to ensure the family line was continued.

A harsh exclamation dragged her back to the present, reminding her of what she was doing. Looking through the gap again and trying to fix her gaze on the man talking inside, she saw a gentleman standing in front of her father with a long, dark red scar on the side of his cheek. It stretched from his earlobe to almost the corner of his mouth—rough, jagged, and bright. Something within her trembled at the sight of this, even though she had very little idea as to who the man was.

“Good day, Leighton.”

Scrambling for cover, Esther hurried away from the door and hid herself in a small alcove where she would not be seen. Waiting until she heard the butler show him out, Esther then hurried out of her hiding place and approached the butler as nonchalantly as she could.

“I did not know my father had a visitor this afternoon,” she began, as the butler waited politely. “Pray, what was his name?”

The butler hesitated, then looked away. “I could not say, Lady Esther. He was not announced and did not have a card.”

That is very odd indeed, Esther thought, frowning just a little. Very odd indeed.

“I am just going to speak to my father,” she said, not saying a word about what her true thoughts were on the matter. “Pray, do not disturb us for a few moments, if you please.” The butler nodded, and she left his side, thinking that she would have to ask her father outright about the strange gentleman. She could use the excuse of hearing raised voices to discover whether or not her father was in any particular difficulty – although she did not know what such a difficulty might be.

“Papa?” Pushing open the study door, she was horrified to see her father sitting there with his head in his hands, as though he were struggling with something truly horrific.

“Papa!” she exclaimed, hurrying in towards him. “What is wrong?”

The Earl of Leighton looked up at once, pasting a hasty smile on his face that did nothing to cover the worry woven into his expression.

“I heard raised voices,” Esther said pointedly. “Who was calling upon you, Papa?” She tried to keep her tone light, but this appeared to do nothing to help settle her father. He turned his face away, sighed heavily, and then shook his head.

“I have something for you,” he said, pulling open a desk drawer and taking out a small velvet box. “I should have given it to you long ago, mayhap, but I did not. It is very precious to me, but it is only right that you should have it.”

Esther frowned, seeing that her father was avoiding answering her question but still intrigued as to what was in the box he now held. “Papa, if there is something wrong—?”

Holding up one hand, he waited until she had stopped speaking before handing her the box. “As I have said, my dear girl, this is very special to me, as it belonged to your mother, but I want you now to have it. It has great importance, for it was the gift I gave your dear mother on the day of our marriage. I pray now that you will wear it often to remember her, and so that you may also be blessed with the happiness of marriage as she and I shared together.”

Tears suddenly blurred Esther’s vision as she took the velvet box from her father. Lifting the lid carefully and with her heart suddenly aching at the memory of her late mother, Esther took in the beautiful silver locket that was contained within. It was fairly large but hung on a delicate chain. There was a single emerald gem centered within it, which she knew would match the color of her eyes.

“It is beautiful,” she whispered, reaching out to touch it with a gentle finger. “You are quite certain you want to give it to me, Papa?” A single tear streaked down her cheek as she looked back at him, seeing him nod. There was a kind smile on his face, but there still lingered a sadness about him that Esther wanted so desperately to chase from him. Was it the memory of his late wife, so dearly loved, that tore at his heart now? Or was there something more to it now?

“It is very precious to me, even though there is nothing contained within the locket itself,” Lord Leighton said, as she looked up at him. “Indeed, I do not even know how one goes about opening it! Not that such a thing matters, for it is what this locket reminds us of that is of the greatest importance.”

Esther nodded, although something about what her father had said buzzed about her head, as though he had said something wrong, something that she could not quite understand. “It will always remind me of Mother,” she whispered, her throat aching furiously. “It is an extraordinary gift.”

“You will wear it, Esther?” Lord Leighton asked, his tone a little desperate as though he expected her to refuse it. “Say that you will wear it always. That you will never be parted from it.”

“Of course, Papa,” Esther replied, her voice shaking with all the deep emotion that rose up within her. “I shall cherish it—always.”

“Good.” He smiled at her, and then he came around from behind his desk and kissed her cheek. “You have always been so very beautiful, my dear girl. And now to know that you are to wear the very same locket as your mother makes you all the more so.”

Esther held her father’s hand tightly, some sort of warning ringing in her ears – although what it warned her of, she did not quite know. “Thank you, Papa. This means a great deal to me – more than I can say.”

Chapter One

“Do come in, Lord Westbrook.”

Charles, Earl of Westbrook, stepped into the darkened room, feeling the same thrill of excitement and anticipation that came every time he joined with his fellow spies.

“Good evening, gentlemen,” he murmured, seeing the other men nod to him. “A cozy evening, it seems!”

“Indeed!” grinned one Lord Brandley, coming forward to greet him. “It has been some time, has it not?”

Charles shook Lord Brandley’s hand, truly delighted to see some of those he considered both his counterparts and his friends. “It has been, but as you know there has been some difficulty in both discovering the book and in bringing it to London.” He grimaced, letting go of Lord Brandley’s

hand. “I believe that I was being closely watched whilst I was away from town.”